Take A Chance
by Lucinda
Summary: Bill Weasley meets an interesting woman - Faith Wilkins.  Series complete.
1. Take A Chance

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg/pg 13  
  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP, not in England.  
  
Bill walked into the office of Rutslak, the goblin that was in charge of the Curse-Breaking division of Gringotts. He wasn't quite certain why he was supposed to be here. It wasn't time for his annual review, he hadn't been breaking any rules... Bill Weasley felt rather baffled.  
  
"Sir? You wanted to see me?" He tried to keep his questions implied, to remain respectful. Goblins could take offense more easily than wizards.  
  
Rutslak turned, peering at Bill through tiny bloodshot eyes, one finger rubbing the side of a long, narrow nose. "Yes. There is... a small annoyance. We have arranged for an exchange with an American wizarding exchange, but... They wish us to use a human intermediary to collect the packages. After some debate, we've decided that you would be well qualified."  
  
That hadn't been what Bill had been expecting at all. "Sir? Where in America is this exchange? How will I find the right establishment?"  
  
"You will be going to a city called Los Angeles, and dealing with the wizarding bank Henlan's. We've arranged a packet of information." Rutslak looked most displeased, perhaps feeling that the refusal to deal directly with a goblin was an insult.  
  
He accepted the thick envelope, murmuring something that he barely remembered as he left the office. He was going to America, to get some packages from people that didn't want to deal with goblins. He was dreading hours and days of horrible boredom.  
  
By the next day, after a series of Floo jumps and apparations, he'd made it to Los Angeles. The trip had been miserable, leaving him feeling weak and faintly nauseous. All he had to do now... with a groan, he realized that he still had to find a place to stay, find Henlan's, probably change his money for American wizarding coin, maybe even some to American Muggle money. A short pause to consider his stomach made Bill decide that instead of dinner, he'd just wait for breakfast.  
  
Things looked better in the morning. He'd found Henlan's, a small building with a front like something from the Italian Renaissance, the walls humming with spells. There had been only a minor hassle to verify his identity, and in the end, while they'd changed his money, he'd been told he would have to return tomorrow to speak with a 'Mr. Boswell' about the transaction with Gringott's. Feh. And Henlan's had hours that felt restricted and unwelcoming after Gringott's, more like normal stores and Muggle banks hours. So, he'd decided to go get breakfast first.  
  
Bill was looking once more at the cup on the table, filled with some brown colored water that was supposed to be coffee. It sort of smelled coffee-like, but... He didn't quite trust it. He looked up and had his first glimpse of her. The woman fairly radiated confidence, and a feeling of power that wasn't magic, but... he had no idea what it was. She wore these chocolate colored leather pants and matching boots, with a shimmering bronze top that was barely held up by tiny straps over her shoulders. She had long dark hair, and a tattoo of barbed wire around her upper arm. She was beautiful, and clearly dangerous.  
  
He saw her again that evening, as he was trying to take a walk to loose some of the frustration dealing with Mr. Boswell had inspired. She was walking in the park, her movements comfortable, somehow reminding him of a leopard or some other dangerous wild animal. She looked... fantastically bad for him. He wondered if he'd get the chance to find out if he was right.  
  
His courage faltered, and he couldn't quite bring himself to say more than an awkward feeling "Nice evening, isn't it?"  
  
Flashing him this incredible smile, she looked at him, her eyes sparkling with this vibrant intensity that told him she didn't drift through life, she seized it and wrung every last bit of feeling and experience from everything. "Yeah, it's pretty good."  
  
They'd stood there, looking into each other's eyes for what had felt like a moment of timeless eternity. Something inside of him just wanted to reach out, to grab her while he had the chance, to experience life with her. Another part of him had the suspicion that if he tried to seize her, she would hurt him for it.  
  
Somewhere, a car horn blared, jolting them from their moment. Awkwardly, Bill glanced away, feeling suddenly embarrassed. Hadn't his mum taught him that it was rude to stare? Even at pretty girls? He should offer an apology, right now. But she was gone when he looked up again.  
  
From deep inside of Bill, he could feel the urge to meet her again, to learn her name. To try to get to know her. He'd felt like he could almost touch something shining and wonderful inside of her. Somehow, he would find her again. And maybe this time, he could ask her out. Or at least learn her name.  
  
His chance came two days later, when he was having breakfast at the same little restaurant. He'd gathered the courage to try the coffee, discovering that it was actually weaker than his mum's tea. The place was unusually crowded, with no empty tables or chairs. So, he wasn't expecting a voice to speak from near his elbow.  
  
"Mind if I sit across from you? Everywhere's full."  
  
Looking up, he beheld her. The same woman that he'd been trying to meet again. This time, she was in a close fitting white tee shirt and a pair of low riding red leather pants. Gesturing with one hand, his response was rather lacking in eloquence. "Go ahead. Please."  
  
She sat down, ordering a big breakfast from the frazzled waitress, and a glass of orange juice. She toyed with the silverware a bit, as if she were trying to organize her thoughts. "So... since I'm sitting here and all, might as well find out who you are, you know? And is it just me, or are you British?"  
  
"Actually, I am. Bill Weasley. So... who are you?" He felt himself smiling, hoping that he wasn't grinning like a loon.  
  
"Faith Wilkins." She smiled at him, her eyes taking in the ponytail of dark red hair, the worn comfortable clothing, the lean muscles underneath. "Planning to stay very long?"  
  
Hope flared inside of him, that he might get to spend more time with her. Maybe get to know more about her. "I wasn't supposed to be, but... the people I came to deal with are dragging their feet. Things could take a while."  
  
"Cool. Maybe I can take you out dancing sometime." Her smile did the most interesting things to him, and her eyes held promises of something far older than magic.  
  
For a moment, his mouth felt impossibly dry. Why was this one woman putting him so off balance? "I'd like that a lot."  
  
Maybe he'd enjoy this trip after all.  
  
end Take a Chance. 


	2. Live A Little

Live A Little  
  
author: Lucinda  
rating: pg 13  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
sequel to Take A Chance  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP, not in England.  
  
  
  
Faith wasn't quite certain what to think of Bill Weasley. He was nicely muscled, with a good face, not really handsome, but a face full of emotion, full of expression. A face that said he was real, that he was the sort of person dropped into life to make his own way, maybe with help, but without any grand destiny laid around his neck. She'd learned how to spot a great destiny, learned from the Watchers, learned from the Mayor who'd become the father she'd never had, learned from her time spent around Angel. Grand destiny sucked.  
  
Bill didn't have a grand destiny. He didn't have any sacred callings or grand redemptive quests. He wasn't trying to gain vast and considerable domination over the world, which had gotten Dick killed. He was just... a guy, trying to make it in the world.  
  
Despite being just a normal seeming guy, there was something about Bill that stood out, set him apart from all the other guys she'd known. He looked at her like a person. Not like a sex object, or like some destined warrior, but... she didn't know how else to describe it. He looked at her like she was special, not for some destiny, but just because she was herself. Special because she was Faith.  
  
It fascinated her and terrified her all at once, and it made her wish with this peculiar blend of wistfulness, regret, and desperate confusion that she'd had a guiding female influence when she was younger. Her watcher didn't count, that had all been about killing bad things, and proper fighting, not about feelings and relationships. She knew all about sex, and people wanting to use her to get something, but... that wasn't what Bill was after. She didn't know what Bill wanted, other than apparently to see her, to learn about her. How was she supposed to deal with that? Especially when he had a nice accent and nice muscles.  
  
She'd agreed to meet him for coffee, thinking even as she agreed that it was probably a foolish thing. The way things had gone in the past pointed to this ending badly, with the best case looking like she would have to hide half of what she was and sneaking around at night to go slay down to the bad range of him panicking, trying to get her put in a mental institution, or back in jail. Or maybe he would get this bizarre macho manly thing and try to go fight the vampires and demons and get himself mauled to death. So, why had she said she'd meet him? Why was she sitting here right now, nervous and hoping that he'd really meant that he'd be here? Fretting about the time like a nervous teenager waiting for her first date?  
  
"Faith... sorry that I'm late, there was a problem with this manager..." Bill's hair was falling out of his ponytail, and his earring gleamed in the weak sunlight, his shirt untucked as he came across the floor. He smiled at her, an expression filled with hope, and happiness, and admiration.  
  
That was why she'd agreed to meet him. That smile, the way he looked at her. Even if only for a while, she wanted someone to be glad to see her. "Not a problem, I've had a few prickly situations with work in the past."  
  
"Glad you're okay with that. So... what do you do for a living, Faith?" Bill was smiling at her, even as he tried to put himself together more presentably. Something Faith thought entirely unnecessary, the man looked delicious just the way he was.  
  
Ouch, tricky question for her. It shouldn't be, and for most people, it wouldn't be touchy. But she was the Slayer, how could she explain that? "I do a lot of various things. Some volunteer work in neighborhood defense and clean up, and there's this detective agency that I have a part time job with. It's called Angel Investigations." Glancing at him, she gave a slow smile over her mug, licking the frothy foam from the top suggestively. "So, what do you do for a living?"  
  
"I work for a bank. Mostly... well, Gringotts deals with antiques sometimes, and then they need someone to help make them a bit more presentable, careful cleaning, some filing... I got sent here to handle what's supposed to be a simple pickup, but the people over here seem to have their heads stuck..." Bill paused, as if remembering the idea of polite language. "Well, it's not going very fast."  
  
"Gringotts? Is that German?" She knew that name sounded familiar. Hadn't Dick had something to do with them? Not his regular money, but some of those funny artifacts that he'd gotten a hold of? Maybe Bill wasn't quite as normal as she'd thought...  
  
Bill had this oddly deep thoughtful feel to him as he stirred some sugar into the coffee, some intensely powerful dark brew that was strong enough to wake the dead. It also tasted a lot better than Cordy's coffee did. "I think... it was originally German, but it's expanded. The branch I was hired at is in London. Sometimes they can be a bit old fashioned."  
  
"Dick... he was sort of my dad, or as close as I had, he had an account there... except that he called it a vault. It was left to me in his will... Sometimes I wonder if there's anything there, you know? I didn't even think banks now days used keys." Faith could feel the memories pressing at her, of Dick, of her time on the dark side of morality, of her near death at the hands of Buffy.  
  
There was something odd in Bill's eyes as he looked at her. "Most banks don't. What... what did your dad do?"  
  
Faith felt as if she'd somehow wandered to the edge of something. If she retreated, things would remain the same. If she went forwards, everything would change somehow. What to do, what to do... She'd always been one to live life to the fullest, to take risks and chances. Time to live a little more. Or at least, to see how things would go.  
  
"He was a mayor. But.. he had an interest in the supernatural, and he collected a lot of old books. Things about magic, and monsters, and enchanted objects."  
  
With a small smile, Bill reached out, his hand resting over hers. "That's not so strange. I'm sorry he's gone, you... you sound like you really cared. I'm here if you want to talk about... anything. Or if you just want to spend time not being alone."  
  
Faith leaned over, her eyes looking into his the whole time. "Maybe I want to live a little."  
  
Their lips met, teasing, tasting, a hesitant exploration of each other. He tasted like coffee and confidence, and she found herself wanting far more than a few friendly kisses over coffee. She wanted to take him back home with her, to find out how nice those muscles were, how flexible he was. To find out what it took to crack his calm. He was temptation, and she had already fallen once.  
  
"So... does that mean we're dating now?" His voice was a bit strained, as if he was having difficulty focusing his thoughts.  
  
"Absolutely." She leaned forward, kissing him again. This was going to be fun.  
  
  
end Live A Little. 


	3. Flirting With Danger

Take a Chance 3: Flirting with Danger  
  
author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg/pg 13  
  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP, not in England.  
  
Bill glared at the wall, certain that his map claimed there was a small street here. He'd been trying to find the hotel that this detective agency that Faith worked with was based at, but it seemed that he'd somehow... gotten turned around.  
  
He grumbled to himself, wishing that he could have a few more things go right in this city. Yes, he'd met Faith, the most interesting woman he could recall ever meeting. But Henlen's was being a pack of wretched, annoying, conceited gits, he kept getting lost in this city, and the food… ugh.  
  
Turning a corner in his effort to backtrack, he froze, staring at a pair of faces warped by pronounced brow ridges and sharp fangs, made more terrible by the gleaming yellow eyes. They'd almost looked like they were running away from something.  
  
"Look what we found… dinner." One of the vampires snarled, his lips pulled back in a menacing smile.  
  
"Bugger that!" Bill might have been having a bad day, but he wasn't about to become the chew toy for a pair of vampires. He pulled his wand from his sleeve, holding it towards the vampires.  
  
"Solarius!" He almost shouted the word, hoping desperately that he'd remembered the proper pronunciation for the spell that mimicked sunlight. His wand began to glow brightly.  
  
Apparently, it wasn't quite the right pronunciation after all, because while they cringed and pulled away in apparent pain, they didn't become dust. Pulling his pocketknife, he quickly transformed it into a sword, and decapitated the first vampire, who fell to dust with an impressive whooshing sound. Unfortunately, the second took advantage of the distraction, grabbing at his arm with sharp claws.  
  
"More for me!" Discolored fangs bared, the vampire lunged forward.  
  
Bill felt panic surge through him, and swatted at the vampire with his wand, wincing as he did. As if swatting a vampire with a little stick would really do much. But apparently, it had a much bigger impact if the stick was a wizard's wand, and if that wand was currently trying to impersonate the sun. The vampire howled, crumbling to dust, the effect spreading from the welt left by his wand.  
  
"Well… that was a damn lucky thing for me. Maybe I should go back to the hotel…" Bill stared at the dust piles, feeling rather proud of himself. He'd fought two vampires! He'd WON a fight against two vampires.  
  
He'd like to go bandage his arm right about now. The punctures from the vampires claws felt like they were burning, and he really hoped that they didn't get infected.  
  
He staggered a bit as he left the small street, walking to the left. Eventually, he would come to a street that he recognized, then it would be back to the hotel, and a round of bandages. At least, that was his plan. Plans didn't always last very long.  
  
"Bill! Oh shit, are you alright? You're bleeding…" Faith was there, her hands on his arm, her eyes full of worry.  
  
"I've been better, actually. I got a bit turned around, and then… Trouble." He wasn't quite certain how to explain it. If he told her about vampires, she'd think he was a nutter, a perfect candidate for Bedlam.  
  
"This needs to get cleaned up… Come on, I'll take you to the Hyperion, we can fix this up there." Faith sounded worried.  
  
"Those detectives run into a lot of violence?" He had the oddest feeling that she wasn't telling him everything. He wondered what she was hiding.  
  
"LA's not the safest place in the world. Sometimes things happen." Faith was practically towing him along. Her grip on his arm was firm, almost painful, in fact.  
  
The Hotel Hyperion was ridiculously close. He'd actually seen it, the large building dominating the area. But he hadn't considered that a hotel could be so big, so he'd kept looking elsewhere. Faith towed him right up to the main doors and into the lobby.  
  
It didn't look like a hotel inside. Well, the structures were right, but the feeling wasn't. It was far too quiet, and there were gleaming weapons along one wall, and a table with piles of leather bound books and a gleaming metal thing that looked almost but not quite like a Muggle toaster.  
  
"Wesley! I need the first aid kit." Faith's voice was confident, she had no doubt about her place here, about her ability to make demands like that.  
  
There was something almost but not quite familiar about the man who brought the bandages, and he definitely sounded British from the mutterings that Bill couldn't quite catch. He also looked most unhappy about the puncture wounds. Not unhappy as if he was having a problem with the sight of an injury, but unhappy like he knew exactly what had caused it.  
  
There was someone else, a tall man with broad shoulders looking at them. He had spiky dark hair, and there was something about him that definitely looked a bit familiar. Bill was positive that he'd seen him, or a picture of him somewhere before. The man turned away, and went quickly up the stairs, disappearing from view.  
  
"I don't think you should go back out there tonight, Bill." Faith's voice was low, and she looked nervous.  
  
"It's not that bad, they weren't very deep." Bill protested slightly, even though he really didn't want to go back outside. He'd seen two vampires tonight, how many more were still out there?  
  
Faith glared at him, her eyes flashing with temper. "This isn't about you being a manly man! It's not safe out there tonight, and I want my boyfriend in one piece. Besides, you've probably had a long, miserable day, and it would do you good to get a decent night's rest. And we have plenty of rooms here."  
  
Wesley made an odd noise, apparently surprised by part of Faith's outburst. "Boyfriend? I'll… just go put this away now." He gathered up the kit and made what was clearly a retreat.  
  
"You do?" Bill felt himself grinning like a loon. "I suppose I could stay the night then. For you."  
  
She blushed, looking back at his arm. "I… don't want you getting killed or anything like that."  
  
"Hey… I don't mind at all." Bill smiled a bit, and then kissed her.  
  
"So, where do I sleep?"  
  
end Flirting with Danger. 


	4. Too Risky

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg/pg 13  
  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP, not in England.  
  
  
  
  
  
Faith scowled as she cleaned the blood from her ax. Bill had been attacked by something. She hadn't been a Slayer for a few years without learning to recognize claw marks when she saw them. Something with claws had attacked her boyfriend.  
  
It wasn't fair. She finally found a nice guy, someone that wasn't just after sex, or trying to use her for some plot, or wanting her to follow some stupid destiny, but a nice guy who seemed to like her. And he'd almost been killed by something out there.  
  
"I think the ax will behave." Angel's voice pulled Faith from her angry thoughts.  
  
Looking at him, she gave a small sigh. "Yeah, well... Bill could have been killed by that... whatever. I finally found a nice guy, and... Maybe this is why Slayers aren't supposed to have lives. He'll just get killed by some nasty."  
  
"Maybe. And maybe not. I think... you might be underestimating him, Faith. There was something about him..." Angel's words drifted off as he got a look of distracted memory.  
  
"Umm, Angel, I know that some vamps have this skewed sexuality thing going, but.. stop getting all misty eyed over MY boyfriend's blood, okay?" She had only intended the words as a joke, but there was a thread of doubt.  
  
"Faith!" His shocked tone made her smile. "That wasn't... I wasn't..." Angel sighed, closing his eyes for a moment in an effort to calm down from her teasing. "I think there's more to Bill than meets the eye. There was something a bit different about his blood. The scent of it. I just can't place it right now."  
  
"Yeah, I know. But the look on your face was worth it." She gave a half smile. What if Angel was right? Was there something that Bill was hiding? Some secret that he hadn't shared? If he was keeping secrets from her... Her hand tightened on the ax, and then Faith realized that she had no right to get too angry if Bill had a secret. So did she. Unless that secret was a girlfriend back home, in which case she had every right to kick the crap out of him.  
  
"Maybe you should talk to him." Angel gave a cryptic smile and left her alone with her thoughts.  
  
Putting away the axe, Faith decided that Angel was right. Maybe she did need to have a talk with Bill. At least about LA being dangerous at night. Now, where had Angel put him? Right, room 312. With a small smile, she headed for the stairs.  
  
She hesitated or a long moment before tapping at the door, feeling oddly nervous. Why did she feel so shaken up about having a talk with her boyfriend? "Bill? Can we talk?"  
  
"Faith. I think... yeah, talking might be good." Bill sounded a bit muzzy, as if he might have been trying to sleep. He opened the door, his shirt removed, bare toes peeking from under his jeans, only the bandages marring the picture of healthy manhood.  
  
She walked in, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking around the room in an effort not to look into his eyes. It had the same bland fifties decor as all the other rooms here, the only modern touches Bill's things. "Bill... I... about tonight."  
  
"Faith? Luv, you're starting to get me a bit worried over here. Say something." Bill's voice sounded a bit pleading.  
  
She looked up, seeing his worried eyes. "You could have been killed!" She flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly, her mind picturing some of the horrible things that could have happened.  
  
He held her, murmuring in her ear. "Faith, sweetheart, I'm all right. It's just a bit of a mess on my arm, I'll heal up and be just fine. You can't get rid of me quite that easy."  
  
"But... What if the next time something's after you, you aren't so lucky?" She couldn't keep the little quaver from her voice, and she hated it. It made her sound like some scared helpless damsel, afraid that her brave knight would fight the dragon and get toasted.  
  
"Hey now!" Bill looked a bit offended. "I'll have you know that this wasn't just luck! I happen to have... well, I've been taught how to take care of myself in trouble. Especially with the family that I have, and Charlie's job."  
  
"Charlie.. that's your next younger brother? What does he do that's so dangerous?" Faith wondered how to break the news to him that it wasn't quite that easy to prepare for vampires and demons.  
  
"Charlie works at a wildlife preserve. Big, scary carnivorous wildlife that occasionally tries to take a bite out of the preserve staff. And I... well..." He sort of faltered, as if he wasn't quite certain he should continue.  
  
Faith looked at him, a small smile on her lips. "Angel seems to think there's a bit more to you than I thought, and that maybe you aren't in quite so much danger from the night-life."  
  
"Angel? so that's where..." Bill shook his head, hair falling wildly around his face. Brushing it back from his eyes, he looked at her, his expression worried. "Faith, how much do you know about this Angel guy? Where does he come from?"  
  
"Angel? What does Angel have to do with..." Faith felt utterly baffled until she took a bit of a closer look at his face. Bill looked really worried, and a trace fearful. "You aren't a Watcher, are you? Because I've had quite enough of them to last the rest of my life."  
  
"Watchers?" Bill blinked, looking far too confused to be faking it. "What the hell is a Watcher? And why are they poking at your life?"  
  
"If you aren't with the Watchers, how did you know about Angel being Angelus? He's not anymore, not since the Gypsies and then Red fixed him. But why do you know?" Faith glared, wondering if this was Bill's secret. If he was a Watcher and she'd been horribly wrong.  
  
"I have no idea who or what these watcher people are. As for Angelus, why are you staying in his hotel?" Bill looked confused and frustrated. "For that matter, how do you know that he's Angelus?"  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She looked away, slumping on the bed. Here it came, the part where he freaked out and didn't want anything to do with her.   
  
"How can you know unless you tell me?" He brushed his hand over her cheek.  
  
"Right, if I told you that there are vampires and demons, you wouldn't start looking for a quick way out? Cause, I've seen people bail before. Seems that's almost everything that's happened since I got drafted to be the Slayer." Faith looked at his shoulder, feeling bitterness well up inside.  
  
"The Slayer? You're the Slayer?" Bill sounded surprised. "I sort of thought that was a myth... But I knew about vampires and demons. Before one tried to rip my arm off tonight... err..."  
  
"Wait, you knew about vampires? You got rid of the one tonight? How?" She looked at him, surprised and delighted and just a little suspicious that he knew.  
  
Bill sighed, one hand reaching out to rest over hers. "I'm a wizard, of course. I went to a school, took seven years of Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. We spent a lot of time covering vampires. I used a combination of a spell and a transfigured pocket knife to get rid of them. I was a bit lucky, and if Mum finds out she'll be furious, but... I'm not entirely helpless, Faith."  
  
Faith looked at him, wondering if he was serious. He seemed to be. "A wizard? Like with a magic wand and a pointy hat? Does your brother really work at a wildlife preserve?"  
  
"I only wore the stupid had for school, and my wand's right here. Ten inch Maple with a Phoenix feather, rather nice I think." He lifted a slender stick, lovingly polished. "And Charlie does indeed work at a wildlife preserve, it's the only Dragon Sanctuary in Romania. They're a protected species, and bloody dangerous too."  
  
Faith looked at him, feeling hopeful at last. "If dragons are so dangerous, why does your brother work with them?"  
  
"One too many Bludgers to the head? I really don't know." Bill grinned at her. "But.. does this mean there's still an us?"  
  
Faith leaned up, one finger tracing over his cheekbone, tugging lightly at his earring. "Definitely still an us."  
  
end Too Risky. 


	5. Tricky Questions

Tricky Questions   
  
author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg/pg 13  
  
fifth in 'Take a Chance' series  
  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP, not in England.  
  
Bill couldn't believe how nicely things had worked out. Faith had found out that he was a wizard, and had taken it rather well. As happy as she'd seemed about him NOT being a Watcher, whatever that was... He probably could have been just about anything. She still hadn't explained very much, but that wasn't a pressing worry. His girlfriend still wanted to date him now that she knew he was a wizard. His girlfriend was the Slayer. Sometimes, his life just seemed all too strange.  
  
They'd talked for a while, about families and their pasts. About their previous relationships and what had gone wrong in those. All with little touches and soft kisses... It was enough to make him smile just thinking about it.  
  
"How do you like your eggs?" The voice had a faint Irish accent, and emerged from a dark hallway to the left, startling Bill.  
  
A few moments thought told him that the voice wasn't someone he'd heard last night, so that mean it had to be... "Angel?"  
  
"Yes, I'm Angel and you're Bill. How do you like your eggs?" There was a hint of impatience in the vampire's voice.  
  
The mingled scents of breakfast came from the hallway, and before Bill thought about it, he found himself in a kitchen. It was fairly well lit, with off white and pale blue tiles and gleaming steel appliances. "Why are you offering me breakfast? Not that I'm complaining."  
  
"It's my insidious plan. I lure you here with breakfast, and then ask you what is going on with you and Faith. You're a wizard." The vampire still managed to look somehow menacing even in the gleaming kitchen.  
  
Bill felt a moment of panic. Was this sort of the equivalent of the over protective father? He was doomed... "ahhh, scrambled eggs, maybe sausage? As for Faith... well, we're sort of... dating. I don't know what's ahead."  
  
"Hmmmm. What about your family? How would they feel about you being involved with someone who isn't a witch?" There was a pause while he cracked open the eggs and started bacon cooking. "You are willing to introduce her to your family, right? And how long do you plan to be in America?"  
  
It would have taken a far denser man than Bill to miss the implied threat behind those words. If he wasn't willing to introduce Faith to his family, then he was obviously only toying with her, which was a Bad Thing. "I'm not sure quite how my parents would react to her. She's not quite the sort that mum would expect... but that's more because of the leather and the tattoo than not being a witch. I was only supposed to be in America for a while, I was... sort of wondering if she'd want to... if she wanted this to be a longer relationship. I'm not the only one that gets to make the decisions here."  
  
"True enough. Faith isn't a blind follower." There was a pause, the silence broken only by the sizzle of bacon. "Of course, you realize that if you ever deliberately hurt her, I will hunt you down and kill you."  
  
Bill felt something inside him lurch, and offered a weak smile as the plate of eggs and bacon was slid in front of him by the serious looking vampire. All the references to Angelus: Scourge of Europe danced in his head, a gruesome parade of violence. "Right. I don't plan to... ever."  
  
"Good. Now, if Faith has a bit more sense than her last relationship, the two of you might have a chance." With those parting words, Angel left the room.  
  
"Morning, Bill." Faith's arms wrapped around him, the scent of her curling around him. "Angel made you eggs?"  
  
He leaned back, feeling her behind him. "Eggs with a side order of mild questioning. He did raise a good point. I won't be in Los Angeles forever. Would you... do you want... Maybe you'd like to travel a bit?"  
  
She tensed suddenly, and her voice sounded higher, surprised. "Go with you? Where?"  
  
"Well, back to Egypt to start with. I got hired at the London branch, but I've been working at the Egypt branch of Gringott's for a while. And there would probably be a trip to England at some point... maybe have you meet my family?" He hoped that he didn't sound as nervous as he felt.  
  
"Cool. I've always wanted to see the pyramids." Faith settled next to him, smiling. "Your family sounds like good people. Do you think they'll like me?"  
  
"Charlie will. Fred and George might try a few pranks..." He paused, trying to consider how they would react to Faith. "I don't think they'll really be prepared for someone like you. They've all been fairly normal wizards and witches for generations... I think they'll like you if you don't give mum a heart attack."  
  
Faith laughed a little bit, eyes twinkling. "I think I'd like to meet your family."  
  
end Tricky Questions. 


	6. Gambles of the Heart

Take a Chance 6: Gambles of the Heart  
  
Author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg/pg 13  
  
sixth in 'Take a Chance' series  
  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP, not in England.  
  
Egypt had been... well, hot. They'd taken the time to learn more about each other, now that they could actually mention everything. Bill told her about growing up as a wizard, about going to a school that taught magic. Faith told him about discovering that she would be a Slayer, about loosing her first watcher to Kakistos. They gradually had shared almost everything about their lives. Faith had even told him a little bit about her time with Dick Wilkins, only sketchy details, but enough to know that he'd been on the wrong side of the line between right and wrong. And that she'd been right there with him.  
  
She hadn't quite known how to handle it when he forgave her for that. He'd agreed that it had been a very bad thing to have done, but she wasn't the same person that she'd been a few years ago, she'd grown, and learned. That it was their pasts that made them who they were, both the good parts and the bad. While he didn't have anything quite that bad in his past, he accepted that she did, that she was trying to be a better person. With a smile, Bill remembered how she hadn't wanted to believe that he could still accept her.  
  
Her eyes had been filled with pain, and her voice had almost trembled as she'd looked at him. "How can you still look at me like that, now that you know? When you know what I've done? That I killed... that I killed people? Just because they were in Dick's way?"  
  
Bill had reached out for her, trying not to wince when Faith had swatted his hand away, her eyes shimmering with tears and pain. "Faith... It doesn't change who you are now. It just... it's part of your past, of what made you who you are today."  
  
"I've done horrible things." She'd pulled her arms close to her, as if trying to hug herself, or maybe crush out the dark memories.  
  
He put his hand on her shoulder, feeling the way her muscles had quivered. "We've all done things that we regret. Everyone's done things that they wished later they hadn't. It doesn't change how I feel. It doesn't take away from the fact that you're trying to help people, to make things safer."  
  
"But how can you stand it? Knowing what I've done..." She'd looked almost lost. Apparently, Faith wasn't very confident about emotions, or counting on people.  
  
Carefully, he'd pulled her close, as if she was incredibly fragile, a shape of spun glass. "I can stand it because you're you. Because... I love you, Faith."  
  
She'd gasped then, looking up at him with this stunned look on her face, as if she couldn't quite believe what he'd said. "Bill? I could have sworn that you just... but you wouldn't... couldn't... could you?"  
  
"I love you, Faith." He'd kissed her cheek, just a light touch, but it was intended to reassure her. "I'm not sure when it happened, or how I could fall for you so quickly, but it's true. I love you."  
  
Her smile had been worried and hopeful all at the same time. "Not very wise..."  
  
"Love isn't wise. It just... is." He'd sighed, leaning against her, breathing in her scent. "And I love you. I was sort of hoping... maybe we could build a future together. Maybe get married, maybe have kids. If you'd like."  
  
"What, the whole white picket fence, nice lawn type thing?" She'd looked amazed, and a little happy. Wistful, actually, as if she'd never dared hope for something like that after discovering that she was a Slayer.  
  
"I don't know about the whole picket fence thing, but... maybe a nice little cottage somewhere, some flowers, maybe some little kids with dark red hair..." He'd let his fingers start tracing over her hand. "I think my family would like you."  
  
Her eyes had started to sparkle with hope, and a few tears had spilled out, looking like stars on her cheeks. "I think I'd like a nice little cottage with you."  
  
Bill smiled, remembering that exchange. Faith was so worried about the future, about how his family would view her, if she would live long enough to have those children, if they could be happy together. She was standing next to him, her hand clutching his arm tightly, hard enough that a corner of his mind wondered if there would be bruises. "Don't worry, they'll love you."  
  
"I hope so. I really, really hope so." Faith's words were no more than a nervous whisper.  
  
A voice called through the air, catching their attention. "Bill? Bill, where are you?"  
  
Smiling, Bill looked at Faith. "Time to introduce you to mother."  
  
Faith gave a slightly trembling smile back, and took a breath, trying to calm herself. "Right… time to meet your mother. Here we go."  
  
And with that, they stepped forward, ready for the future.  
  
End Take a Chance 6: Gambles of the Heart 


	7. Fall of the Cards

Author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg/pg 13  
  
seventh in 'Take a Chance' series  
  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP, not in England.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, you must be Faith. Welcome to England, dear. Bill's wrote a few things about you, it's good to meet the girl that he's gone sweet on at last." Molly Weasley's manner was at once take charge and at the same time, very mothering, nurturing. It was a sort of warm and caring thing that she'd only ever had from Joyce Summers and her original Watcher. The fact that the short, rounded woman with her bright red hair and slightly faded dress looked nothing like either of them didn't matter at all.  
  
Faith couldn't help but smile. Bill's mom was just so... she was a great mom, Faith was certain of it already. She just hoped that his mom didn't decide that her precious boy could do better. "Hey, Mrs. Weasley. Bill's told me about you..."  
  
She could feel Bill's hand in her own, rather reassuring. His words helped calm her nerves a bit as well. "Faith's never been to England before, Mum. We don't want to overwhelm her at once. She'll have plenty of time to meet everyone."  
  
"I suppose that is reasonable enough, dear. Your father is waiting at the car. And, Faith, feel free to call me Molly or Mum, since you're practically family already." She was smiling, even as she managed to flock the pair of them out of the hall where they had arrived.  
  
Faith chuckled, trying to figure out how one short woman could somehow surround her and Bill. Maybe it was magic, or something that she'd learned raising seven children. Faith couldn't quite picture any of Bill's brothers or his single sister being calm and easy to raise. "Bill, is your mom... Molly, is she always like this?"  
  
He smiled at her, offering a quick wink. "No, sometimes she gets all worried and fusses over us."  
  
And almost before Faith knew it, they were outside, approaching an old gray car, where a somewhat rounded man with slightly thinning red hair was inspecting a parking meter with a broad smile. That could only be Arthur Weasley, the father of the Weasley horde. He looked up with an almost guilty looking smile. He gave his wife a big hug and then gave Bill one as well. "Molly, dear! And Bill, good to see you looking so good, and this must be Faith."  
  
That was all the warning Faith had before she was also hugged by this oddly cheerful man. She managed a few words through the surprise of it, feeling oddly unsettled by the Weasley's. With parents like this... wow. "Thanks... It's good to meet you. You're both just... great." To her embarrassment, her vision was a little blurry. Faith had the definite suspicion that it was from tears in her eyes.   
  
She just sat in the back of the car, snuggled up against Bill, wondering how she'd not only managed to find a great guy, but one with great parents who seemed to like her even though they'd only just met. It was the sort of thing that she'd never expected to happen to her. Something wonderful and nice and just… like a fairy tale, complete with magic. Bill seemed to understand a little, and just held her, telling his parents some about his trip to Los Angeles and about Egypt, so that she didn't have to say anything unless she wanted to.  
  
The Weasley family house, called the Burrow was… entirely unlike any building that Faith had ever seen. The paint was peeling, which she'd seen before, but the actual architecture of it was… well, impossible came to mind. A collection of chimney pipes emerged, sticking up in a multitude of places, and it looked to have had additions built on with no sense of order. Rooms edged over empty air as the second story loomed larger than the first, and parts of the roof looked thatched while other parts appeared to have shingles. A garden full of vegetables, some of which Faith recognized and others she didn't, and a pair of battered old picnic tables were beside the house, and the whole property appeared to be enclosed in hedges that looked just as mismatched and welcoming as the house.  
  
"So this is what a wizard house looks like." Faith smiled at Bill, wondering if this was what he thought of as a normal house.  
  
"Well, we've had to expand it several times to make more room. Mum and Dad have told me dozens of times that it used to look a bit more normal." Bill had one arm around her waist, holding her close to him.  
  
That was when a slender figure in a skirt with a pair of red braids burst out of the house, running towards them with an unhappy plaint. "Mum! Fred is trying to stick my door shut with insoluble glue again! Can you make him… oh! Who's this?"  
  
Faith blinked, looking at the flustered red haired girl. She figured that she was maybe fourteen or fifteen, so she must be… "Ginny? Bill's one and only sister? I'm Faith."  
  
Bill grinned, and reached out to tug gently on one red braid. "Little sis, I'd like you to meet Faith, my girlfriend."  
  
The red haired girl's eyes got very wide, and she made a sort of silent 'oh'. For a few moments, she looked from Bill to Faith, her eyes noting the leather pants, the hint of tattoo peeking from under Faith's sleeve, and the way that Bill's arm was around her waist. It looked like Ginny wasn't quite certain what to think about Faith. "Umm... hi?"  
  
"Let's just go make certain that Fred and George haven't done something that they would call amusing to the guest room." Arthur Weasley looked a bit worried, his words causing Faith to recall that the twins were the pranksters of the lot, always getting into trouble for things like stink bombs and transforming candies.  
  
"If they did anything too dreadful, we can let Faith toss them into the fishpond." Bill's teasing words made Faith smile, and Molly just sort of tsked.  
  
"Nonsense. If they've made a mess, they'll just have to clean it up. Tossing them into the pond would only make a bigger mess." She made this little sigh, one that spoke of years of experience with these pranks.  
  
Of course, when they made it to the house, there was this… smell. Like a combination of rubber cement, boiled cabbage, and sulfur. Faith coughed several times, her eyes watering from the smell. "Ughhh… what did they do?"  
  
Molly and Arthur both pulled little wands, and started muttering incantations, the result being that the air started to clear up, becoming more breathable. Molly looked over, her own eyes now red and watery. "On second thought, maybe you should toss them into the fishpond."  
  
Ginny just made a few choking giggles, and in a low whisper asked the question that told Faith she wouldn't be objecting to her possible sister-in-law. "Can I watch?"  
  
Faith winked at her as she answered. "Of course."  
  
Arthur Weasley went upstairs, officially to find his boys and give them a few words, but privately agreeing that it was fairly likely that they'd try to slip out the window. Ginny would be able to show Faith where they would come down, naturally… And the pair of them grinned, partly in anticipation, and partly out of laughter. Bill just waved them off, with the explanation that 'I'll just be over here with Mum, explaining all about how I met you, in more detail than we could go into in the car.'  
  
Ginny had waved for Faith to follow, and led her around to the back of the house, where there was a slender rope ladder dangling from what looked to be a tiny wooden room just barely clinging to the side of the house. A pair of booted feet had just emerged from the window, finding the rungs of the ladder and moving almost soundlessly towards the bottom.  
  
Ginny looked at the first red-haired boy, looking maybe seventeen or eighteen, and the second pair of feet now descending the ladder. In a soft whisper that barely carried, she gestured with her thumb. "My brothers – be careful, they're really good at trying to wiggle out of trouble."  
  
Faith winked at her. She'd been slaying vampires and demons, she should be easily capable of grabbing a pair of teenage boys. "Just wait – it's the pond for them both."  
  
In the end, one of them almost managed to get away, and she'd had to lunge and grab him by his ankle, the other brother having the bad luck to cushion her fall before she tossed both of them into the water, literally. The shocked looks on their faces as they were suddenly airborne… Well, those were easily worth the possible bruises from grabbing them.  
  
Two heads, with soaked red hair and a line of weeds trailing over the ear of the twin on the left, popped back out of the water, sputtering and indignant. "Who the… what was that for? We don't even know you!"  
  
"I'm Faith, and I'm Bill's girlfriend." She grinned at the pair of them, enjoying their indignant shock.  
  
Ginny peeked around Faith, giggling slightly. "You filled up what's supposed to be her room with that vile stench. Naturally, she wasn't very happy. You could have just been lectured by Dad about setting off dung-bombs in the house…"  
  
"Ummm… welcome to the family?" This was from the twin on the right, and he looked like he really wasn't certain that 'welcome' was the right word.  
  
Faith grinned. "Yeah… I think this is going to be pretty good. Family."  
  
End Fall of the Cards. 


	8. Jokers Wild

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg/pg 13  
  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
  
story 8 in 'Take a Chance' series  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP, OoTP did not happen.  
  
Faith found herself smiling as she prepared to go out. Granted, things would probably be pretty quiet, but she wanted to do a quick patrol anyhow, just to be sure. Bill's parents were great, and so was his little sister. She wasn't quite sure about the twins, but they were definitely interesting. His whole family just seemed so... real, so well, not quite normal, but pretty grounded in things.  
  
Her favorite stake wasn't quite where she'd left it, but maybe it had just been bumped by one of the many people in and out of the place all the time? Did it feel a bit smoother than it should? No, she must just still have some of that lotion on her hands. It was a magical lotion that changed it's scent for each person.  
  
She was smiling as she made her way out. The countryside was pretty, the air smelled good, even if it was cooler than California. It reminded her of Boston, actually.  
  
It was definitely quieter than Sunnydale. A pair of scurrying pests, not worth killing, and a big swooping bat-like thing were the only things for the first half. She was slowly making her way back to the Burrow when she felt the vampires. Two of them, not too old. Probably minions. With a smile, she closed in on them.  
  
The shorter one was more alert, and spun around as she was bringing her stake down on his torso. With a slight twanging noise, the stake transformed itself into a rubber chicken, which sort of squashed against the vampire's chest, causing both of them to blink for a moment in bafflement. The vampire recovered, sending his fist towards her face with an angry growl. Swearing, Faith blocked, part of her mind trying to figure out why her stake had turned into a rubber chicken. Most of her attention was on this fight, which was suddenly a lot more difficult with the absence of a stake.  
  
In the end, she kicked one of them against this nasty looking tree with thorns everywhere. Even the thorns had thorns. With a scream, the vampire crumbled to dust. That left the shorter one, who was also a bit more agile. She ended up clubbing him with the chicken, rendering him unconscious long enough to find a knife and decapitate him.  
  
By that point, the dots had connected in her mind. It had to be Fred and George. She had no idea how, but it sounded just like the sort of thing they'd do.  
  
She was going to kill them. Slowly.  
  
The rest of the trip back was uneventful, allowing her to fume about the indignity of the stake-chicken thing. It could only be explained by magic. And it had nearly gotten her killed. A dozen painful deaths for George and Fred flashed through her mind. She could do it, and maybe easily. Just break the wands, and they wouldn't be able to work the magic...  
  
Well, maybe she shouldn't really kill Bill's brothers. It might... would probably upset him, and his parents. But that didn't mean she couldn't threaten them a little, put a little fear of Faith into them...  
  
There was the Burrow, all baffling architecture, and cheerful smoke, and the smell of something cooking that would taste delicious. It felt like home. And she was just certain that Fred and George would be inside. She slipped into the house quietly, knowing that no matter how satisfying it could be to kick down a door, not only would they be alerted and have the chance to get away, Molly would be very unhappy.  
  
Stalking across the house, she spotted one of the twins. She wasn't certain which one, but it didn't really matter right now. She grabbed him by the front of his hand knit sweater, lifting him from the floor to slam into the wall. Lifting the former stake turned chicken, she practically growled at him. "What's the meaning of this?"  
  
He made a few noises that might have made a bit more sense if he wasn't being half choked by the sweater, gesturing frantically to please put him down. "I.... but... jkkkk..."  
  
Faith glared at him, every bruise and scrape from those vampires aching, including the extremely painful feeling bruise blooming over her cheekbone. She wasn't certain, but thought the skin had been broken there as well. "How in hell am I supposed to kill a vampire with a rubber chicken?!? There was a reason I had a wooden stake."  
  
"Vampires?" The voice had a nervous edge to it. "Why were you hunting vampires with a defective wand?"   
  
Faith turned slightly, glaring at the other twin. "It isn't a magic wand. It's a wooden stake, much more solid than a wand."  
  
"Why would you go looking for vampires?" The words emerged from the twin that she was holding, who had wiggled and squirmed enough that he could once again breathe.  
  
"Because I'm the Slayer, that's why." She glared at him, before turning her head slightly to glare at the other one. "And I think you two ought to have to try to kill a vampire with a rubber chicken."  
  
"Oh my God..." The one she was holding turned a rather odd pale shade, his eyes getting very big. The last word came out with a high pitched squeak. "Sorry?"  
  
"Faith, sweetie.... are you... no, scratch that. Drop Fred and we can get those bruises fixed up" Bill looked worried, his finger hovering near but not quite touching her cheek.  
  
"I'm not Fred, I'm George." The still dangling twin mumbled.  
  
Faith shrugged slightly, dropping him. "Going to kiss it and make it all better?"  
  
"Mum, when did Bill get a girlfriend?" An unfamiliar voice spoke up, sounding about fourteen and caught between awe and worry.  
  
Faith glanced over, seeing a boy of fourteen or fifteen that could only be another Weasley, another boy of the same age with wild black hair and a pair of glasses, dressed in the most hideously unappealing baggy clothing she'd ever seen, and a girl of the same age with a mane of brown curls. All three of them were staring at the scene with wide eyes. Faith could feel herself growing warm, terribly embarrassed about the unexpected audience. "umm... Bill? Who...?"  
  
"My youngest brother Ron, and his friends Hermione Granger and Harry Potter." Bill gave her a gentle one armed hug, trying not to hurt any bruises. "This is my girlfriend Faith."  
  
Hermione spoke first. "I've read a bit about Slayers - aren't they supposed to remain a bit isolated?"  
  
Faith leaned against Bill, feeling a bit worried. "Well... I'm a non-traditionalist. The Watcher's Council hasn't done very well by me, so I basically ignore them and their rules."  
  
"Whoa. That's sort of impressive. And did you realize that his feet weren't even touching the floor?" Ron looked impressed now, eyes gleaming with questions and concern.  
  
"I was sort of upset that my stake turned into a chicken right as it hit the vamp's chest. For future reference, slapping a vampire in the chest with a rubber chicken does not kill them. It just confuses them for a moment before they get mad as hell." Faith sighed.  
  
"Faith, dear, come over here and we can get you fixed up. Arthur, you can have a few words with the boys again about those joke wands of theirs."  
  
Molly's maternal domination worked wonders, and Faith soon found herself on a chair, having some strange pale yellow ointment dabbed over her scrapes, while something a sort of opaque light green was rubbed over her bruises by Bill.  
  
"Don't worry, they're very impressed." Bill leaned over, whispering the words into Faith's ear. "And I really don't think Fred and George with try anything against you again. You have them both terrified."  
  
Faith just gave a small smile. "Goody. Rubber chickens are not intended as a weapon. Remind me to take a good sharp dagger with me next time."  
  
Bill just smiled, giving her a quick kiss, cutting things shorter due to the many watchful eyes on them. "Maybe I should just go with you?"  
  
"Only if you want to, sugar." Faith smiled, her eyes slowly moving over him. She could deal with having her boyfriend with her after slaying.  
  
"Maybe I'd like that." He smiled back, ignoring the worried noises from his mother.  
  
"Just try not to let either of you get killed, hmmm?" Molly looked at them, and then sighed. "Just… go rest, you two."  
  
Bill took Faith's hand, winking at her before saying in a reasonable voice. "Of course, mother."  
  
End Jokers Wild. 


	9. Winning Odds

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg/pg 13  
  
pairing: Faith/Bill Weasley  
  
story # 9 in 'Take A Chance' series  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any characters from Buffy/Angel or to any characters from the Harry Potter books.  
  
distribution: TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Paula, anyone else just ask.  
  
notes: probably AU-ish for Faith, set roughly season 3 A:tS/s7 BtVS, post book 4 HP.  
  
  
  
  
  
In the morning, Faith made her way down to the kitchen, blinking at the sight of eggs scrambling themselves by a stove, and a broom sweeping a little bit of dust out the door. Molly Weasley was taking down a stack of plates from a cupboard as this happened. Blinking a moment, Faith looked again - yep, the broom was still sweeping all by itself. "Must be convenient."  
  
"Quite. I don't know how I could have managed without." Molly had a bit of a chuckle to her voice. "Could you put these on the table, dear?"  
  
Feeling a bit unfamiliar with the whole domestic comfort, Faith set the plates on the table, one in front of each chair. Glasses and forks followed, one each in front of every chair, none of which quite matched.  
  
"Morning Faith. And umm... I'm sorry." It was one of the twins, his expression unhappy. "I didn't mean... I mean, I didn't know that you would run into a vampire. Nobody was supposed to be in any danger."  
  
For a moment, Faith wanted to throw him and his apology into the fish pond. But she was supposed to be a better person now, so she resisted that impulse. "I guess that makes sense. Most people try to avoid vamps, after all. So, apology accepted, and don't do it again. There might not be any wickedly thorned trees next time."  
  
"Fair enough." He offered a wobbly smile to her before picking up a large bowl and beginning to collect the scrambled eggs.  
  
Gradually, Faith began to feel less edgy as the day progressed. The other twin - she still wasn't certain which was Fred and which was George - had also offered his apology. Nobody tried any more pranks on her, although they did slip Ron some sort of candy that turned him into what she could only describe as a giant canary, complete with yellow feathers. She managed not to laugh while Ron was in the area.  
  
"You guys are just... why do you do all of that? How do you do it?" She'd looked at the nearest twin, the one that she'd grabbed by the throat, identifiable by the bruises in the shape of a hand.  
  
"Well, it's done with magic. Combination of charms, some transfiguring - that was the wand, errr, stake, and some potions." He gave a shrug that would have looked modest if not for the huge, smug grin on his face. "We want to open a joke shop after we graduate. Sell Canary Creams and joke wands and a few other things... we're working on some special fireworks right now."  
  
"Fireworks, hmm? I might want to see those… but not from too close." Faith had found herself smiling. Maybe those two weren't so bad… at least when they weren't trying to play jokes on her.   
  
"Right… we'll just have to wait until Mum's not watching. She thinks we should grow up and do something serious, like Bill at the bank, or Dad at the Ministry, or Aunt Clara at the robe shop." This was from the other twin, without the bruises circling his throat. "And Faith? In case we didn't mention it, welcome to the family."  
  
"Really?" She stood up, smiling a bit. The idea of them counting her as part of the family gave her this sort of warm feeling inside. "Thanks."  
  
"Just remember not to eat anything they give you." Bill's voice carried amusement as his arms slid around her waist. "Mum finally got rid of Ron's feathers."  
  
Leaning back against him, Faith smiled. "Your family is so… I haven't got the words, Bill. They're quite a trip."  
  
"We're a half crazed, risk taking, red haired horde, actually." One twin grinned at her, looking almost smug.  
  
"Note the hair – mine isn't red." She commented, one hand holding out a lock of hair for their inspection.  
  
"We could fix that. A wand, a charm… poof, red hair." The grinning twin made a little flicking gesture, as if to mime the wand use for the charm.  
  
"Nah… I'm used to it dark. And this way, when one of your things accidentally gets the attention of some sort of demon, you have an easy time figuring out who to yell for help from." Faith's eyes were teasing.  
  
"Yeah." There was some laughter there. "Charlie and his dragons."  
  
Faith blinked, wondering if she should feel insulted or not. Deciding on 'not', she smirked. "Wait, you think a fifty-foot, fire-breathing, armor plated, temperamental beast is an improvement over a six foot demon? Maybe you've had a few to many of those Bludgers to the head."  
  
"Err… when you put it that way… How about we just ask you to slay the angry demons?" His face had paled a bit. "With a real weapon, not a joke wand."  
  
Bill was laughing now, his face half buried in her hair. "You'll do just fine, Faith."  
  
"Sounds good. I always wanted to be part of a real family." She shifted slightly, snuggling against Bill. "I'm glad that I met you, Bill. And your crazy family too."  
  
"Aww… isn't that sweet?" Both twins made exaggerated smiling faces.  
  
Faith couldn't quite see all of Bill's gesture, but she had the feeling that it was rude. She just started to giggle, feeling better about the future than she had in years. Everything would be alright. Somehow.  
  
End Winning Odds.  
  
End Take A Chance series. 


End file.
